Preparations will be made for keeping Suffolk’s roads safe during the upcoming winter season when gritters embark on an early morning practice ‘dry run’.

Our winter team will be undertaking a Countywide dry run on Saturday 27 October, from 4am. This is to allow the teams to familiarise themselves with their new routes. #WinterReady. pic.twitter.com/APiwTT9vYp

Suffolk Highways announced on Twitter that its winter team would be on the roads from 4am on Saturday, October 27 as part of a county-wide operation.

“This is to allow the teams to familiarise themselves with their new routes,” the team said.

Suffolk Highways looks after all of the county’s roads except trunk roads, which are the responsibility of Highways England.

When snow and ice is forecast, it pledges to to salt and grit A and B roads, as well as routes to 24-hour fire stations and accident and emergency hospitals.

It also grits roads to main bus and railway stations.

The organisation splits those routes into primary and secondary routes - primary routes before the onset of hazardous conditions, and secondary routes if the poor conditions are likely to remain after 9am.

Snow is also cleared from heavily used pavements. Priority is given to main shopping streets in town centres, other town pavements and well-used cycle tracks.

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